Vehicle-brake.



No. 7|6,| '6a. Patented nec. la, |9112.

Y A. A. BALL, 1n. VEHICLE. BRAKE.

(Apgdcation filed Jan. 27, 1902.) (No Model.)`

Tus Noams PErER's'co, PNoT-LIYHU., WASHINGTON. o. c,

UNTTED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

AUGUSTUS A. BALL, JR., OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELIHU THOMSON, OF SWAMPSOOTT, MASSACHUSETTS.

versione-sanas.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,168, dated December 16, 1902. T Application led January 27, 1902. Serial No. 91,299. (No model.)

. To all whom t may concern:

Be itknown that I, AUGUSTUS A. BALL, Jr., acitizen ofthe UnitedStates,residing at Lynn, county of EsseX,State `of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Brakes, (Oase No. 2,369,) of which thc-following is a specification.

The present invention relates to vehiclebrakes, andmore particularly to those inao` tended for use on self-propelled vehicles, and

has for its object to improve their construction.

4The scope of the invention will be more fully set forth in the description and in the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawiugs,which illustrate an embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the vehicle with certain of the parts broken away. Fig. 2 isa 2o sectional view of the means employed for operating the brake by power and for controlling its action. Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating thesuspensiou ofthe brake-band. Fig. 4 is a detail of the means employedto control the action of the brake-actuating apparatusand Fig. 5 is a slight modification wherein a single handle is arranged to control both the engine and brake.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the 3o steering-wheels, which are mounted on short axles in the usual manner. of illustration the steering-lever has been omitted. The driving-wheels 2 are connected to the engine 3i by sprockets and chain, to- 3 5 gether with the usual differential gearing,per `Initting one driving-wheel to make a greater angular movement than` the other. The differential gearing is inclosed in a casing 4, the periphery of which is `turned true and forms 4o a brake-druml Surrounding this drum is a flexible bandl, the ends of which are secured to the lever 6, as is illustrated in Fig. 3. The lever 6 is pivoted at a point about midway between the poin ts of attachment of the band, so that the brake is effective either for forward or backward rotation of the drivingwheels.` Extending forward from the lever 6 is a connecting-rod 7 of any suitable character. The opposite end of this connection 5o or rod is pivotally secured to a vertically-extending lever 8, the latter being carried in a For simplicity` hanger 9, that is fastened to the under side ofthe vehicle-body. The Vupper end of the lever 8 is provided with a slot 1Q, which permits it to move independent of the poweractuating mechanism, as will appear hereinafter.

Pivotally mounted in the hanger 11 is a foot-leveri12, which is connected to the lever 8 by a connection 1,3 and is adapted to be ac- 6o tuated by the foot of the person operating the vehicle. When pressure is applied to the lever 12, it moves the lever 8 forward, which in turn transmits motion to the rod 7 and to the brake-lever 6. This causes the brakeband to tighten around' the drum and arrest the motion of the vehicle, and the action takesplace whether the vehicle is moving forward or backward. Between the end of .the brake-lever and a stationary part on the 7o axle is a spring 14 for returning the brake parts to an inoperative position as soon as pressure is removed from the foot-lever 12.

A brake of the character described will meet most of the conditions of operation; but at times it is imperative to make a quick stop, and at such times it is necessary to apply the brake with great power, and this without loss of time. ln order to provide for such emergencies,I a power-actuated means is provided 8o for the brake, which means includes :a powerful spring for setting the brake, a power-piston for releasing the brake, and a cylinder containing a body of incompressible fluid for. controlling the action of the spring, the move-` ment of the piston within the cylinder being controlled by a by-pass valve, which is under the control of the operator.

Mounted on a transversely-extending support 15 are two cylinders 16 and 17, arranged 9o intandem. Each cylinder is provided with a pistonand the pistons are united by the piston-rod 18. The rod is provided with suitably-packed joints and at its outer end is provided with an eye 19 toreceive one end 95 of the adjustable tension-spring 20, employed to set the brake. The opposite end of the spring is secured to a screw-threaded stem 2l, which is adjustably supported in the stationary support 22. rod is a collar 28, having a rounded surface, which engages with the slotted end of the le- Mounted on the piston- 10a leasing-spring 14 without affecting the operation of the power-actuating mechanism. On the other hand, when the pistons move to the right under the action of the spring 2O the collar. 23 engages with the lever 8 and moves der, but not in the reverse direction. der to control the passage of fluids, a manuit in a direction to set the brake. The steam or actuating cylinder 16 is provided with small holes 24: on the under side to permit the escape of the water formed by the condensation of steam. The upper right-hand end of the cylinder is provided with a pipe 25 for admitting steam in a manner to move the piston and cause it to place the spring 20 under tenslon.

The controlling-cylinder 17 containsa body of non-compressible fluid, such as oil or glycerin, for regulating the action of the powerbrake. I prefer to use oil orglycerin in this cylinder on account of their non-freezing properties; but where there is no danger from freezing water may be substituted therefor. In the cylinder, at some convenient point, is

-mounted a removable screw-threaded plug permitting theinsertion of liuid. Formed in the upper side of the cylinder and extendingy from one end to the other is a passage 26. At some point in this passage is located a check-valve 27. In the present instance it consists of a small spring-pressed ball and is so arranged that iuid may be forced from the left-hand to the right-hand end of the cylinallyactuated valve 28 is provided, which valve is arranged to shunt the check-Valve 27. When the valve 28 is open, the piston is free to move toward the right under the action `of the spring 20, and the movement of the piston can be checked at any intermediate point. The rapidity with which the movement of the pistons takes place is controlled by the valve-opening.

Steam is admitted to the engine from the boiler by a throttle-Valve controlled by the lever 29, and between the throttle-valve and the boiler is a connection 30', which opens into the pipe 25. The opening between these two pipes is controlled by a spring-pressed valve 31.

The means employed for actuating the Valve controlling the Huid-cylinder and that regulating the admission of steam to the cylinder will now be described'.

The Valve-stems are extended so that they pass through the seat or other support and are provided at their ends with heads 32. Situated between each head and a stationary abutment is a coiled compression-spring 33, which tends at all times to hold the valve closed. Pivotally supported between the valve-stems is a lever 34, having forked ends which engage with the enlarged heads on the valve-stems. When the lever 34 is moved In or-v backward, the forward forked end raises the stem of valve 3l, and steam is admitted from the boiler to the cylinder 16 through the pipes 30 and 25. On releasingthe handle the spring 33 will close the valve and cut off the supply of steam to the cylinder 16. Only a very small amount ot'` steam is required to move the piston within the cylinder, ,and as the former moves to the left it also moves the piston in the controlling-cylinder, the check- Valve 27`automatically opening and permitting this action to take place. Any movement 'in thevcontrollng-cylinder in passing through the valve-opening also acts to retard the action of the spring 20, so that the brake or brakes are gradually set, yet with sufficient rapidity to quickly arrest the movement. of the vehicle. The valves 28 and 31 are entirely independent in their action, although a single lever is used to control them. As-

suming that the pistons are in the eXtreme right hand ends of the cylinders, ywith the brake set by reason of the collar 23 engaging with the lever 8, and that it is desired to release the brake, the lever 31 is moved backward, thus opening the Valve 31. Steam then enters the pipes 30 and 25 and passes into the cylinder 16. This will move the piston to the left, and the check-valve 27 will permit the duid on the left hand end of the controlling piston to flow past it into the right hand end of the cylinder. The valve 31 is of course opened only momentarily, after which it is returned totheclosedposition. Thislastaction may take place manually or by means of suitable springs, the latter being preferable. As shown,the spring 20, which constitutes the motive device for setting the brake, is in an operative position and subject to the action of the controlling-cylinder. Assuming the parts to be in the position shown and that it is desired to arrest the speed of the vehicle under ordinary running conditions, the foot-lever 12 is forced outwardly away from the operator, and motion is transmitted to the brake -lever through the rod 13, lever 8, and rod 7. The lever 8 being slotted at its upper end :is free to move independent of the piston-rod 18 and the spring 20. Assuming that for any reason it is desired to utilize the power-brake for stopping the vehicle, the handle 34 is moved forward, which raises the valve 28. The fluid in the controllingcylinder will then iiow from the right to the left hand end, and in so doing will permit the piston to move to the right un- IOO IIO

der the action of thespring 20. As the pistons moveto the right the collar 23 engages with thelever 8 and transmits motion to the brake-lever through the rod 7. rThe brake can be set lightly or otherwise, depending upon the amount of fluid permitted to pass `from the right to the left hand end of the controlling-cylinder. The brake may also be set under the action of the spring 2O when it is `desired for any reason to` leave the vehicle, and the only way that the apparatus can be placed in operative condition is to admit steam to the powerfcylinder 1b' and move the piston to the left until the lever 8 assumes a position substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that both the manually-actuated lever 12 and the power-piston and `mit steam to the engine and also to control the action of the power brake or brakes. The advantage of such a construction over the other resides in the reduction of the number of control-handles, which is of course advantageous in self-propelled Vehicles where the operator has many valves and levers to keep in mind.

` 42 represents a cylinder which is incommunication with the steam-carrying connection leading `from the boiler, and mounted therein is a piston 35, which constitutes a I valve. The ,piston is, provided with a very small orifice to enable the pressures on oppositesides to equalize. Communicatingvvith Vthe cylinder 42 is a connection 43, leading to the engine, and the opening between the cylinder and the connection is controlled by the piston-valve 35. In order to control the admission of steam to the actuating-cylinder 16, a second piston-valve 37 is provided, hav- `ing a small vertical orifice 38, arranged to connect the steam-pipe 36 from the boiler with the pipe 25, leading to the cylinder 16.

\ The pistons are mechanically united, and the orifice 38 is so arranged that it admits steam to the pipe 25 before steam is admitted to the engine. l In other words, steam for a very brief interval is admitted to the actuatingcylinder 16 each time the throttle-valve is moved from a closed position.

Situated midway between the pistons and pivotally connected to the rod is a lever 39, which is provided at its lower end with a cam 40, that strikes the head 41 on the valve-stem 28 and raises it against the spring-pressure each time the lever is moved back of a central position. Forward movement of the lever regulates the speed of the engine and backward movement regulates the applicalion of the brake or brakes.

What Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, is-

l. In combination, a revolving element, a brake therefor, a motor which isV separate from the said element for applying the brake, a body of non-com pressible tluid which is independent of the motor for regulating the set-- ting of the brake, and a manually-actuated device by means of which the fluid is controlled.

2. In combination, a revolving element, a brake therefor, a motor which is separate from said element for applying the brake, a pressure cylinder and piston for setting the motor in operative condition, a body of noncompressible fluid which is independent of the motor for regulating the setting of the brake, and amanually-actuated valve which controls the action of the ilnid.

3. In combination, a revolving element, a brake therefor, a motor for applying the brake, a steam cylinder and piston for setting the motor into operative condition, a second cylinder containing a piston, a connection between the piston and the lnotor, a body of non-compressible lluid in the second cylinder, and a valve for regulating the fluid circulation.

4. In combination, a revolving element, a

`brake therefor, a spring for applyingI the brake, a power piston and cylinder for releasing the brake, and a controlling piston and cylinder acting on a body of non-compressible fluid to regulate theapplication of the brake.

5. In combination, a revolving element, a brake therefor, a motor for setting the brake, a power piston and cylinder for releasing the brake, a controlling piston and cylinder, the latter containing a body of non-compressible fluid, and an automatic valve arranged to permit the piston to move freely in one direction, and a second valve arranged to control the movements of the piston in the opposite direction.

6. In combination, a revolving member, a brake therefor, a motor for applying `the brake, a second motor for releasing the brake, a lever which is connected to the brake and is acted upon by the first motor and is capable of moving independent thereof, a manually-actuated lever, and a connection between the two levers whereby the brake can be applied either by the motor or by the manuallyactuated lever.

7. In combination, a revolving element, a brake therefor, a motor for applying the brake, a motor for releasing the brake, a le- IOO ver which is connected to the two motors by fluid for controlling the action of the motor which sets the brake.

8. In combination, a revolving element, a brake therefor, a spring for setting the brake, a power piston and cylinder for placing the spring under stress, a piston, a cylinder, a body of non-compressible fluid confined in the cylinder and arranged to act on the piston, a valve for admitting steam tothe powercylinder, a valve for controlling the fluid circulation, and a lever arranged to operate first one valve and then Ithe other.

9. In combination, a revolving element, a brake therefor, a motor for setting the brake, a motor for releasing the brake, a controller for the brake containing a body of non-compressible fluid, an engine, and a single lever for controlling the application and release of the brakes and the admission of steam to the engine.

l0. In a vehicle, the combination of a rotating element., a brake therefor, a motor for setting the brake in an operative position, a means for holding the brake in said position irrespective of the movements ofthe vehicle or rotating element, a second inotor independent of the rotating element for applying the brake, and a device which is under the control of the operator for regulating the actionof the second motor.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of January, 1902.

` AUGUSTUS A. BALL, JR. Witnesses:

DUGALD MCK. McKILLoP, HENRY O. WESTENDARP. 

